Method for Assembling Heat Sink

ABSTRACT

A method for assembling a heat sink with radial fins is disclosed. The heat sink includes a thermo-conductive base and a fin set. The base is provided with a plurality of troughs and guiding grooves. Each guiding groove is located between two adjacent troughs. The fin set is composed of a plurality of fins. The method provides a mold having a star shaped inner space and edges. The heat sink is compressed into the inner space and the guiding grooves are inserted by the edges to make the troughs deformed. The fins are firm pinched by deformed troughs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The invention generally relates to heat sinks, particularly to heatsinks for electronic devices such as computers.

2. Related Art

Usually, a heat sink used for integrated circuits or electric devicesincludes a base plate and fins. The base plate is provided with aplurality of troughs for being inserted by the fins separately.Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional method for assembling fins on thebase plate of heat sink 1 is to from troughs 11 on the base plate 10first. The base plate 10 is mounted on a tool and aligned with a mold12. The mold 12 has a plurality of punches 13 driven by a press machineto reciprocate. Each punch 13 is just located between two adjacent fins14 and strikes the surface of the base plate 10 near the fins 14 to makeit deformed so that the fins 14 can be fixed on the base plate 10.

However, to improve heat dissipation efficiency and increase heatdissipation area, the fins 14 disposed on the base plate 10 are denseand a gap between two adjacent fins is very narrow. Therefore, thepunches 13 must be very thin. Thin punches 13 do not have enoughstrength and tend to be broken. Also, front edges of the punches 13become dull easily.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary object of the invention is to provide a method for assemblinga heat sink which can decrease breakdown of the punches and reducemanufacturing costs.

Another object of the invention is to abate vibration and noise duringmanufacturing process.

Another object of the invention is to improve accuracy and yield rate.

To accomplish the abovementioned objects, the method for assembling aheat sink according to the present invention includes athermo-conductive base and a fin set. The base is provided with aplurality of troughs and guiding grooves. Each guiding groove is locatedbetween two adjacent troughs. The fin set is composed of a plurality offins. The method provides a mold having a star shaped inner space andedges. The heat sink is compressed into the inner space and the guidinggrooves are inserted by the edges to make the troughs deformed. The finsare firm pinched by deformed troughs.

Another embodiment of the invention provides a tool for being mounted bythe heat sink, and the mold is mounted on a machine. The mold is pushedby a reciprocating motion of the machine to be slidedly embedded by theheat sink. The edges of the mold compress the guiding grooves of theheat sink to deform both sides of the troughs. Then the deformed troughspinch the fins to integrate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a conventional method for assembling a heat sink;

FIG. 2 shows the base of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an assembly of the base and fins;

FIG. 4 is a top view of an assembly of the base and fins;

FIG. 5 shows the process of the assembling method of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a side view of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a top view and a side view of the status that the heat sink isplaced on the mold but not assembled yet;

FIG. 8 is a top view and a side view of the status that the heat sinkplaced on the mold is moving;

FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of the assembling method of theinvention;

FIGS. 10 and 11 show heat sinks made by the method of the invention;

FIG. 12 shows the heat sink and mold of the third embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 13 shows the status that the mold is placed on the tool to prepareto press the heat sink, wherein the trough has not been deformed yet;

FIG. 14 shows the trough has been deformed because of compression; and

FIG. 15 shows a motion of the mold placed on the tool for making thetroughs deformed in the third embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 2-4, the method for assembling a heat sink includesthe steps of:

a) providing a thermo-conductive base 20. In a preferred embodimentshown in the figures, the base 20 is, but not limited to, an annularbody. A plurality of troughs 21 are provided on outer surface of thebase 20. A guiding groove 22 is disposed between every two adjacenttroughs 21. A section of the guiding groove 22 is substantially V or Ushaped.

b) providing a fin set 30 which includes a plurality of fins 31, whereinthe fins 31 are separately inserted into the troughs 21 to form a heatsink 3.

c) providing a mold 40 having an inner space 40 for accommodating theheat sink 3 and edges 42 separately corresponding to the guiding grooves22.

d) performing a tight connection process, wherein the heat sink 3 isplaced in the inner space 40 of the mold 40, a tool 50 driven by a punchpress (not shown) pushes the heat sink 3 to be inserted into the innerspace 41 (as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6) and the edges 42 are longitudinallyinserted into the guiding grooves 22 (as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8), andthen both sides of the guiding grooves 22 are deformed by the edges 42to make the troughs 21 shrink inward for firm pinching the fins 31.

FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of the invention which includes thesteps of:

a) providing a thermo-conductive base 20 having troughs 21 on outersurface thereof and V or U shaped guiding grooves 22 disposed betweenevery two adjacent troughs 21.

b) providing a fin set 30 which includes a plurality of fins 31, whereinthe fins 31 are separately inserted into the troughs 21 to form a heatsink 3.

c) providing a mold 40 having an inner space 40 for accommodating theheat sink 3 and edges 42 separately corresponding to the guiding grooves22.

d) performing a tight connection process, wherein the heat sink 3 isplaced on a tool 50 and the mold 40 is mounted on a punch press (notshown), the heat sink 3 is inserted into the inner space 41 and theedges 42 are longitudinally inserted into the guiding grooves 22 (asshown in FIGS. 7 and 8) by the punch press pushing the mold 40 to moveforward, and then both sides of the guiding grooves 22 are deformed bythe edges 42 to make the troughs 21 shrink inward for firm pinching thefins 31.

By performing the above method, various types of heat sinks as shown inFIGS. 10 and 11 can be produced for satisfying different requirements ofcomputers or electric devices.

FIGS. 12 to 15 show another embodiment of the invention which includesthe steps of:

a) providing an annular thermo-conductive base 60 having troughs 61 onsurface of inner space thereof and guiding grooves 62 disposed betweenevery two adjacent troughs 61.

b) providing a fin set 70 which includes a plurality of fins 71 and aninner space, wherein the fins 71 are separately inserted into thetroughs 61 to form a heat sink 7.

c) providing a mold 80 having radial wings 82 separately correspondingto the guiding grooves 62.

d) performing a tight connection process, wherein the mold 80 is fixedon a tool 90 driven by a punch press as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, theheat sink 7 is inserted by the mold 80 and the wings 82 arelongitudinally inserted into the guiding grooves 62 (as shown in FIG.15) by the punch press pushing the tool 90 to move forward, and thenboth sides of the guiding grooves 62 are deformed by the wings 42 with adepth d to make the troughs 61 shrink inward for firm pinching the fins71 in the base 60.

1. A method for assembling a heat sink comprising the steps of: a)providing a thermo-conductive base having a plurality of troughs thereonand guiding grooves are separately disposed between every two adjacenttroughs; b) providing a fin set which includes a plurality of fins,wherein the fins are separately inserted into the troughs to form a heatsink; c) providing a mold having an inner space for accommodating theheat sink and edges separately corresponding to the guiding grooves; andd) performing a tight connection process, wherein the heat sink isplaced in the inner space of the mold, a tool driven by a punch presspushes the heat sink to be inserted into the inner space and the edgesare longitudinally inserted into the guiding grooves, and then bothsides of the guiding grooves are deformed by the edges to make thetroughs shrink inward for firm pinching the fins.
 2. The method forassembling a heat sink of claim 1, wherein the base is an annular body,and both the troughs and the guiding grooves are disposed on an outersurface thereof.
 3. The method for assembling a heat sink of claim 1,wherein a section of each of the guiding grooves is U shaped.
 4. Themethod for assembling a heat sink of claim 1, wherein a section of eachof the guiding grooves is V shaped.
 5. A method for assembling a heatsink comprising the steps of: a) providing a thermo-conductive basehaving a plurality of troughs thereon and guiding grooves are separatelydisposed between every two adjacent troughs; b) providing a fin setwhich includes a plurality of fins, wherein the fins are separatelyinserted into the troughs to form a heat sink; c) providing a moldhaving an inner space for accommodating the heat sink and edgesseparately corresponding to the guiding grooves; and d) performing atight connection process, wherein the heat sink is placed on a tool andthe mold is mounted on a punch press, the heat sink is inserted into theinner space and the edges are longitudinally inserted into the guidinggrooves by the punch press pushing the mold to move forward, and thenboth sides of the guiding grooves are deformed by the edges to make thetroughs shrink inward for firm pinching the fins.
 6. The method forassembling a heat sink of claim 5, wherein the base is an annular body,and both the troughs and the guiding grooves are disposed on an outersurface thereof.
 7. The method for assembling a heat sink of claim 5,wherein a section of each of the guiding grooves is U shaped.
 8. Themethod for assembling a heat sink of claim 5, wherein a section of eachof the guiding grooves is V shaped.
 9. A method for assembling a heatsink comprising the steps of: a) providing an annular thermo-conductivebase having troughs therein and guiding grooves disposed between everytwo adjacent troughs; b) providing a fin set which includes a pluralityof fins and an inner space, wherein the fins are separately insertedinto the troughs to form a heat sink; c) providing a mold having radialwings separately corresponding to the guiding grooves; and d) performinga tight connection process, wherein the heat sink is inserted by themold and the wings are longitudinally inserted into the guiding groovesby pushing the mold, and then both sides of the guiding grooves aredeformed by the wings to make the troughs shrink inward for firmpinching the fins in the base.
 10. The method for assembling a heat sinkof claim 9, wherein the mold is fixed on a tool driven by a punch press.